PHOTOGRAPHS BY VAN ABERNETHY

The following month , Farmington kicked off the 45th consecutive year of their points program , holding a two-day event on March 19-20 . “ During the 1970s nobody around this area had a weekly points program , and I give credit to Jim Turner , Jerry Joyce and then later , Norman Drouillard , because those guys pioneered the bracket points program in this area ,” says Mark Joyce , a Farmington official .

Farmington ’ s two-day bracket format dates back to the late 1980s . “ It makes it more cost effective to hold a pair of races

back-to-back , and if the weather is bad one of those days , you still have another chance to race the following day ,” explains Joyce .

Farmington has 12 points races scheduled this year , and they ’ ll be contested on six weekends throughout the year . During the opening points weekend , champions from 2021 were honored

with trophies , cash , and plaques to commemorate their accomplishments during the previous year . Champions that were crowned include Stuart Smith in Top Eliminator , Ernie Humes III in Footbrake , Brandy Sells in Street , Brian Yerger Jr . in Jr . Dragster , Tyler Nelson in Farm Teen Racer , and Pete Hiatt in Motorcycle .

The largest weekly gathering takes place on Friday evenings with a robust test-andtune session . Motorcycle points races are also contested , with a dozen events scheduled for the two-wheeled competitors this season .

In April , the Carolina Class Racers Association made their first of two appearances at Farmington , and are scheduled to return in July . The popular Mad Dawg 4.50 series also made their first appearance of the 2022 season in early April .

“ The Mad Dawg 4.50 series was introduced to replace Pro Modified racing , as the track just wasn ’ t quite capable of holding Pro Mod cars anymore , so the Mad Dawg

May / June 2022

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